As we bid (perhaps futilely) winter farewell, CutBank brings you a list of articles featuring some illustrious and/or notorious individuals for this week’s Burn Pile.

We would be either quite forgetful or hermitlike if we didn’t feature Michael Cohen and his testimony to the House Oversight Committee. Over at LitHub, Timothy Denevi asserts that there is no redemption for Cohen.

And if Cohen’s testimony or Denevi’s article has convinced you or perhaps reinvigorated your desire to be a better person, a better person like maybe Frederick Douglass, the good folks over at Lapham’s Quarterly have provided you with Douglass’ reading recommendations.

Or maybe you’re looking for something more fantastical, more visual. Look no further than The Paris Review’s feature on Tolkien inspired imagery.Who wouldn’t want a sunny jaunt through the Shire right about now?